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Australians caught in besieged town in Lebanon

AM - Thursday, 20 July , 2006 08:04:00

Reporter: Karen Barlow

PETER CAVE: There are also serious concerns about 200 other Australians believed to be in Lebanon's besieged southern town of Aitaroun, which is just eight kilometres from the border with Israel.

A number of people were killed there yesterday by an Israeli missile strike.

The presence of so many Australians has been reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the relatives of the stranded Australians are pleading with the Government to help get them out.

Karen Barlow reports.

KAREN BARLOW: Rabih, who fears using his full name, has heard days of bad news from the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun.

RABIH: Pretty much almost 70 per cent of the houses have been hit or demolished. And we're had direct hits through our relatives.

KAREN BARLOW: The Sydneysider says his father's cousin's home was destroyed four days ago and all inside died.

Now Rabih has had word overnight that family members on his mother's side have been killed while trying to get out of the town.

RABIH: Apparently they drove about eight to 10 kilometres north to escape the south, and I think there was a convoy of four or five cars. And two of them got hit and they say they got incinerated, so two adults from that family and three kids.

KAREN BARLOW: How many were Australian citizens?

RABIH: Australian citizens, I cannot confirm. They say one person's from Peakhurst.

KAREN BARLOW: Rabih says he knows of two young Sydney sisters, aged nine and 11, who are believed to be in Aytaroun by themselves.

RABIH: Well, I think the mother's here and they live pretty much on their own up there... elderly grandmother, but no one's heard from her for a couple of days, so we don't know if they're with them or not.

KAREN BARLOW: And they have been reported to the Australian Government?

RABIH: The person who told me is actually reporting directly. He's got a list of every person in that village who is an Australian citizen and a resident.

And two days ago, when he gave the information to Alexander Downer's office, he made him aware that there was approximately 120 kids and 111 adults.

And Alexander Downer was reported to have been very shocked, and asked: is that, like, some sort of resort in that village that that many people go there? And the answer was no. It's just they'd never been there in the summer holidays.

KAREN BARLOW: The Australian Lebanese community is urging the Government try harder with Israel to get a temporary ceasefire to allow the Australians out.

The President of the Lebanese Muslim Association Tom Zreika.

TOM ZREIKA: We're absolutely gobsmacked and speechless. You know, our members and, you know, the Lebanese people, Lebanese Australians that I know are becoming quite irate with the Government.

Now, I've spoken with Alexander Downer, and he's assured me that they're doing absolutely everything possible. Obviously, we believe what he's saying and we appreciate what the embassy staff are doing.

But it's just too slow. We've just got to do something.

KAREN BARLOW: He's backed by the President of the Australian Maronite Catholic Society, Joseph Khoury.

JOSEPH KHOURY: We appreciate the difficulties that they are going through. I mean, we are not that naive to think that it can be done straight away. But we do ask that more effort be done to get these people out safely.

PATER CAVE: The President of the Australian Maronite Catholic Society Joseph Khoury, ending that report from Karen Barlow.